Thou Preparest a Table Before Me

Psalm 23:5--Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
In our previous studies, we have been talking about walking through the valley of the shadow of death.  If you are a committed Christian, and your are walking with Jesus just as close as you can, junk still comes your way, doesn't it.  Joseph wasn't doing anything wrong, yet his brothers sold him into slavery and then lied about it to their father.  Peter was just preaching away and following Jesus just as hard as he could, yet he got thrown into jail.  David was listening to God and being just as obedient as he could.  He was faithful and obedient to King Saul.  He was a good military commander.  He was anointed to sing and would sing for King Saul when the evil spirit troubled him,  Yet, King Saul tried to kill him and David had to run to a cave for fear of his life.
It's times like these when we ask ourselves the question, "What did  I do to deserve this?"  The answer is a little different than you have probably thought about before.  Are you ready for this?  The truth is, you didn't deserve the valley.  However, you do deserve the prepared table in the presence of your enemies.  If you will read 1 Cor. 10:13, you'll find out that God allows things to happen in the lives of His devoted followers.  If you will read Rom 8:28--And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.  Paul wrote both of these scriptures.  All Paul did was walk as close to Jesus as he possibly could and do everything that Jesus asked of him.  Yet, he was shipwrecked a couple of times, put in jail a lot, beaten and run out of town.  But, in all of these events, he was able to say, "I know that the God that I serve will work this for my good."
Even though Paul went through a lot, he won many, many people to Christ and established church after church after church.  The words that he wrote to several churches are still being read from pulpits today and the same convicting power is turning sin-hardened lives into loving Christians.  He stayed in Corinth for a year and a half until the religious rulers kicked him out.  Two great letters are in the New Testament today.  He was illegally beaten and put in jail in Phillipi, yet one of the greatest letters of the New Testament was written to them by Paul.
Sometimes when the valley hurts a lot, and it looks like nothing good will ever come, we have to pull ourselves together to remember the promise.  God is preparing a table before us in the presence of our enemies.  I know by personal experience that it is hard to do.  BUT, if we could look over the pain of the moment and look more to Jesus and His unfailing love, we would be able to see Him working "all things" together for our good.  He brought us to this place, allowed this junk to come our way specifically to turn this junk into treasure.  
While Joseph was a slave and then a prisoner, God was busy working it for the good of his entire family.  When God finally promoted Joseph to second in command and he got married to Pharaoh's daughter, how do you think Potiphar's wife (his accuser) felt?  How do you think his brothers felt when he finally revealed himself to them?  As much as they worked against Joseph, his enemies saw God prepare a table before Joseph that they could not stop.  
Herod thought he had Peter stopped and was fixing to be dead in his tracks.  He had Peter put in jail and chained between two soldiers.  However, in this valley, God brought His people into a deeper realm of prayer than they had ever been before.  Herod, the army, the jail, nor the guards could stop God from preparing a table before Peter in their presence.  God made Peter's enemies look like kindergarten children instead of grown-ups.
David did everything to please King Saul that he could, yet was treated like a law breaker.  No matter what King Saul tried to do against David, God's hand would only allow him to go so far.  Even when Saul was trying to kill David, the news kept coming back to him that David was doing good deeds and that people were thronging to him.  The blessing of God on David's life haunted King Saul the rest of his life.  David was blessed while King Saul lived and died under the curse.
Keep holding on to the promises of God.  As I have said before, spend some  time falling more in love with Jesus than ever before.  He has every intention of preparing a table before you in the presence of your enemies.  He has every intention of turning your adverse circumstances into a blessing for YOU.  When it's all over and God shows up like He promised, you will be able to testify to your children, "Surely goodness and mercy has followed me all the days of my life.  It didn't start off that way, but by His grace and mercy, that's how it ended up."
Much love in Jesus.  Pass it on.